The Things We Do
by Andrea O'Down
Summary: April thought things had finally changed for the better. Terrible things have happened, but she's in a relationship with Donnie. It's one of the rare good things in her life. However, things change again when she and Karai get closer. And so April starts to question if her relationship with Donnie really is what she's been looking for all these years.
1. Chapter 01

April slides down on the couch next to Donnie. It's been a hard day at college and she is so looking forward to spending a nice evening with her family.

They're just watching TV like they did on so many evenings before. Later, the boys will leave for their nightly patrol and she'd go to Donnie's room and do her homework.

It's a nice evening. They're only interrupted once by Splinter calling for Leo to bring him some tea.

As always, this leaves a sour taste in her mouth, knowing that Splinter needs so much support now. And she can't help, but think what would have happened if he had managed to dodge Shredder's blade.

Or if Karai had helped him.

Karai has only been with them for three months. And they knew she'd go. They knew right from the beginning. Only they refused to see. And in a way she's missing now. Not as much as Casey, but still.

She had to go for Karai can live without a family and friends, but she can't live without power.

She left Shredder for Splinter though. At least she gave her father, her real father that.

But she didn't even step in when Shredder rammed his blade through Splinter's body, damaging his spine forever.

She might have finished Shredder if Splinter had failed, but Splinter succeeded with the last of his strength.

She at least informed Leo where to find Splinter.

And now Karai's the leader of the Foot clan.

April inches a bit closer to Donnie.

* * *

Later that night, Donnie comes home, tired and exhausted from their patrol, but April doesn't ask. She's going to hear everything about that night tomorrow at breakfast from Mikey anyway.

She just guesses that it must have been the Foot. Maybe it's her psychic powers kicking in although they are underdeveloped because of not being used for years.

It's always hard when they run into the Foot, especially for Leo.

Karai doesn't look for them on purpose, she even knows where their lair is, but when they run into each other at a patrol, there's going to be a fight.

And there was a fight, she can see it from the way Donnie looks.

And when there was a fight, Donnie needs her, and so she wraps her arms around him and presses her lips on his.

Because he's Donnie. And he's good and kind and deserves so much more than she can give him.

But this, she can give him.

And she likes how he immediately catches his breath and she likes how he knows where to touch her and how.

She gasps when he enters her. She likes how he thrusts into her and how he always makes her come.

And how sweetly he snores once they are done.

April inches closer, snuggling up to him, listening to his snores.

Her hand searches his and she tries to remember how much pleasure this hand brought her tonight.

And still, something is missing.

But she can't say what it is.

April thinks that it's just hard for someone to tell what actually is missing when it's their first relationship.

And this is Donnie. If he finds out something works, he'll stick to it.

And he does make her come, each and every time they make love.

So there's nothing April should complain about, right?

Because this is Donnie and she loves him.

She squeezes his hand before she falls asleep.


	2. Chapter 02

"I am leaving now," Leo says again, letting his eyes wander over his brothers and April, and April can see the insecurity in his eyes. It's there, every Friday, but she doesn't know _why_ he's insecure. If it's because he leaves his family alone, leaves his father alone or if it's because of what's ahead of him.

"I prepared everything for Master Splinter's tea, and there are some painkillers and his medicine on the tray as well."

Again, insecureness glints in his eyes.

Still, April isn't sure what it means.

"Yeah, we got this, Leo," Raph chimes in. "Now go and fuck your girlfriend."

"Karai's not…," Leo starts too loud and breaks off mid-sentence.

Raph shrugs. "Well, at least we know for sure now you're meeting her."

That's right. They had always presumed it, but Leo has never said it, only that he had to do something.

Although April isn't sure if they really have sex. Leo never wears this big grin on his face the next day, this grin Donnie was wearing for three days straight after their first night together.

Raph doesn't lose it, then. Which is a surprise.

Even Leo took a step back, just in case, and blinks now that Raph's rage hasn't hit him.

Raph just takes another sip of his coke. Or what April thinks is coke.

It's hard to tell these days.

"Okay, I'm off," Leo says, but he doesn't move.

"Bye, Fearless!" Raph says and finally Leo sets into motion.

April gets up, too.

She needs to change for her patrol.

Because Friday night, that's when she takes over patrol.

She does it to thank the guys for what they did for her and her father. And for the city, too. And the world.

Plus, she needs the practice.

Her skills as kunoichi haven't really improved since what happened to Master Splinter.

Yes, she does train with the guys sometimes, but it's not the same.

Besides, she loves going on patrol. Not only because she wants to thank the guys.

There are things she can give to Donnie, yes, but she wants to thank the others, too. And pizza and comics, they don't really cover it.

When April returns in her kunoichi suit - yellow fabric and black leather, her tessen tucked into her belt -, Donnie gets to his feet.

He lies his hands on her shoulders.

"You have your T-phone?"

April nods. She knows the rules. Just patrol, no fights. If something comes up, she calls the guys.

So far, nothing has come up.

It probably never will.

Not with the route, Leo has given her. And to stick to it, that's another rule.

"You sure I shouldn't come with you?"

Donnie asks this every Friday.

And as every Friday, April says yes.

"I can handle this," she assures him. "It's just some training. I'll be back later. And in the meantime you can work on that new laser gun you told me about."

This makes Donnie's face brighten up.

He loves to work on his projects, his toys.

If only he'd be as eager to try new things in the bedroom, April thinks, but she pushes the thought away.

It's not a thought she should think. Or a thought she likes to think, so away with it.

When she jumps over the turnstiles, she can hear Donnie set into motion towards his lab, and something tells her that he's happy about it.


	3. Chapter 03

April loves the air up on the rooftops. It's so different from the air down on the streets, purer and so much more exciting, smelling and tasting of adventures to come.

Not that she really is going to be involved in any adventures.

The rules say she stays out of fights. The rules say that she is just here for surveillance.

Just to watch and taste the exciting air.

And that's enough for her.

She can hide in the shadows and feel like a real kunoichi.

She takes another deep breath, tasting the air on the back of her tongue, and she loves it.

It's moments like this when she feels special again.

The good kind of special, of course, the one where she's a kunoichi, not the one when she's the center of an alien invasion and is partly Kraang and has psychic powers.

No, this is the kind of special that makes her heart pound with life, not the one that makes it freeze and throb with pain.

There's a movement down in the alley, and April moves closer to the roof edge.

Carefully, she looks down into the alley and sees - nothing.

With a twist of her mouth April steps back again.

The attack comes unexpectedly from behind.

April feels a punch against her back, not very hard, but hard enough to make her gasp and sends her down to her knees, sliding close to the roof edge again.

Out of instinct, she rolls to the side - only to be hit by a harder punch against her back again, harder this time. She falls face down onto the concrete.

There's laughter and then pressure against her cheek. It takes her a while to understand that her attacker has placed a foot on her cheek.

"You've gotten rusty, O'Neil," a voice says.

April knows that voice. She knows it all too well.

"Karai!" she hisses, the foot on her cheek making it hard to speak.

"Well, at least your sense of hearing is still working," Karai says and puts her foot away.

April sits up, rubbing her jaw.

"What?" Karai laughs. "You don't lunge for your precious little tessen or your sweet little Turtle phone? What's wrong with you, O'Neil?"

"You aren't here to kill me," April replies, getting back to her feet and brushing off the dust.

"And what makes you think that, Princess?"

April studies her face for a moment. Karai's eyes are glistening, and there's this smirk on her face April knows so well.

"Otherwise I'd be dead already."

It's true, Karai isn't here to kill. She's here to get a little amusement.

The kunoichi bursts into laughter.

"Now that's a clever princess," she says, still giggling.

"I'm just not sure why you're here, though," April says. "I thought you had other plans."

"Awwwww, Leo told you, didn't he? He's such a cutie!" Karai's voice is dripping with sarcasm. "That's why I let him wait, you know? It makes him do things he'd never do when he weren't angry."

This makes April straighten.

"So you only get him angry so you can defeat him!?" she shouts, grabbing her tessen.

"Defeat him?" Karai repeats, then laughs again. "Oh, you poor innocent child, you have no idea!" The glistening is back in her eyes when she continues. "But it looks like I can at least get a little fight out of these rusty bones."

And with that Karai attacks again, harder this time, more powerful. She lands blow after blow.

April manages to counter and duck a few, but takes most of the beating.

At least she can land a few blows herself, for appearances' sake.

Then all goes into a blur, and when April comes back to her senses, she finds herself on the ground, on her back, and Karai is kneeling on her body, one hand on April's shoulder, and the other on April's boob.

This is odd. April can only think that it happened by mistake.

And if to prove her wrong, Karai adds some pressure on April's boob.

There's this glistening in Karai's eyes again, and then she moves off April's body, jumps backwards and disappears into the night.

Trying to catch her breath, April sits up.

Her body is aching, and oddly enough, it feels like she can still feel Karai's hand on her boob.

April shakes her head.

It's just Karai, and Karai loves to play games. That's all there is to it. And it doesn't mean anything.

But why is her heart still pounding in her chest moments later although her breathe is back to a normal rate?


	4. Chapter 04

April isn't that surprised when she enters Murakami's the next evening and finds Karai sitting at the bar.

Sure, she is surprised, but not _that_ surprised. Not after their encounter the night before.

Karai just knows things, and so it's only logical that she knows that April is coming here every Saturday evening, too.

Karai's wearing some casual clothes, jeans and a leather jacket, and of course her trademark make-up. She's sipping at a cup of sake. Well, April presumes, it's sake.

Her body is still hurting from last night. This morning, she frowned at all the bruises on her body. She really had forgotten how much these hurt. Years of not getting into an actual fight really could make you forget things like that.

She even had to call Donnie to tell him that she wouldn't sleep over last night. She told him she was too tired and had to study in the morning before going to university, and she's thankful he bought that.

She doesn't even want to think what he's going to say when he detects all these bruises on her later tonight. And he _is_ going to detect them. Or the hisses of pain when he touches her.

But there's no way she could stave that off any longer. She never spent more than one night away from the lair, not since _that day_ all these years ago.

With a sigh April walks over to Karai. The restaurant isn't that packed, so there is absolutely no reason why April sits down next to Karai, really, but she does.

She's proud that there's only one silent hiss escaping her lips when she sits down.

"Hurting much?" Karai asks, not looking up from her cup of sake.

"As if you didn't know," April replies before greeting Murakami and placing her order of pizza gyoza.

Karai giggles. "Yes, I do."

There's a moment of silence in which Karai takes her sweet time taking another sip of her sake.

"I was surprised how bad you've gotten," she says then. "I mean, you've never been good, but not _that_ bad, you know."

April decides to ignore that comment.

"Doesn't my father train you any longer?"

This sends a pang to April's heart.

 _He's not your father!_ , she wants to scream, but then again, he is, and Karai has every right to call him that.

It just sounds weird coming from Karai. Yes, Splinter is her biological father, but she never really showed him any affection. A little hug here, a smile there, but it never looked like she actually meant it. She fooled Splinter with it, but not April or the guys. And then she betrayed him, luring him to the final battle with Shredder, something Splinter would never have done on his own, without Karai telling him that she needed his help.

"No, he doesn't," April simply replies.

"Not after … you know," she adds after a moment, and she doesn't understand why she did that. How on earth would Karai _know_!? She hasn't seen Splinter after that fight.

"Oh, that," Karai says. "Didn't think it would get him that down. I thought he were a fighter. Guess I was wrong."

The urge is there just to raise her hand and slap Karai's face, but April fights it down. There's no use in starting a fight here. And Karai is still Karai. Who knows if April's hand would even touch her face?

Splinter has been a fighter, that's right. But all of his strength and his will, it broke the moment Shredder's blade cut into him. This one last blow of his mortal enemy, it has killed Splinter. Yes, he's breathing and limping around the lair, leaning heavily on his stick, and kneeling or lying under the tree in the dojo, but that's all. The spark from his eyes is gone along with everything else that makes him seem alive.

April says nothing about this. That's something Karai doesn't need to hear from her.

Her pizza gyoza arrive and April eats in silence. They taste good, as always, but they leave a bitter taste in her mouth with every bite. They always do.

When she's done eating she gets to her feet, and she has to give it to her that she manages without any sound of pain.

She thanks Murakami for the meal, and the blind man hands her a package of pizza gyoza for the guys.

"Greetings to my friends," he says. "I'll be happy if they come visit me again soon."

He always says that, and April always lies, "They will! They've just been so busy lately, you know."

"Oh, I do," Murakami says. "All you young people, always so busy!"

April smiles. It only hurts a little bit.

With a sigh she turns away from the bar. Time to face Donnie, time to tell him that she was being oh so clumsy last night and fell off a fire escape.

She really wishes she could stave this until her bruises weren't that salient any longer.

"Headache," Karai says all of a sudden and it makes April frown.

"Headaches always work," Karai continues as she turns towards April, and it's the first time that evening they actually look at each other. "Guess they must work with your nerdy turtle-boyfriend as well."

April just nods, turns around and leaves.


	5. Chapter 05

April can't believe how well the headache-excuse works. It gives her three days or rather nights, enough time for her body to heal so much that it wouldn't protest when Donnie touches her.

She makes sure the room is very dark that night. Afraid that Donnie might see her fading bruises anyway, she doesn't really give in to the feeling of Donnie's hands touching her just right, of the rhythm of his dick thrusting into her just right. She only realizes when Donnie stops.

"You … okay?" he asks, breathing heavily.

"Yes!" she replies quickly. "I'm fine!"

She wraps her legs around his shell, forcing him deeper into her because she knows how much he likes that.

"Please," she says, making her voice tremble a little bit. "Please continue!"

She feels a wave of relief coming from him, and then he starts thrusting into her again, and she meets his thrusts with sighs and silent moans.

It's their first night together in days.

And it's their first night together where Donnie doesn't make her come.

Donnie's already snoring next to her, but April is wide awake.

She can still feel the heat between her legs, she can still feel his thrust, and she remembers how it felt when he came deep inside her.

It's been like all their nights before, and still, April feels numb now.

She gets up and sneaks into the bathroom, naked as she is.

Silently, she closes and locks the door, then lets herself glide to the cold tiled floor. Resting her back against the door, she squeezes her eyes shut.

With a sigh she spreads her legs and moves her hand to her clit. The flesh is still so sensitive from Donnie's lovemaking, it hurts when she touches it.

But she can't help it.

She rubs her fingers over her clit, faster after a little while and with more pressure. She ignores the pain, hisses between gritted teeth, and keeps going until she finally comes.

She can still feel the pulsating between her legs when she climbs back into the bed and lies down next to Donnie.

It doesn't make her feel better, it doesn't feel right. Heck, it doesn't even feel good!

She spends the rest of the night staring into the darkness.

* * *

When she hears Donnie stirring in the morning, she rolls onto her side and closes her eyes.

She can hear Donnie sit up, feels his eyes on her, but she doesn't move until he gets up and leaves the room on tiptoes.

* * *

April must have fallen asleep after that because when she opens her eyes again, two hours have passed.

Her eyes widen when she realizes that she's going to be late for her classes.

With a curse on her lips she manages to get dressed and grab her stuff.

Dashing out of the room, she finds Donnie and his brothers gathered in the pit in front of the TV. Donnie is about to open is mouth.

"No time! Talk later!" she yells at him as she rushes to the turnstiles.

She knows Donnie's watching her every move, she knows he's frowning, she knows his mouth is still open.

But she has no time to deal with that now.

And as much as she wants to feel sorry for it, as much as she waits for the pang of guilt to cut through her heart, all she feels is relief.

She hates it.


	6. Chapter 06

Facing Donnie again that evening is hard. April still wants to feel guilty, but she doesn't. Not one bit.

And it confuses her.

Everything about last night confuses her.

At least she's able to mask her confusion with some anger that Donnie didn't wake her that morning.

"But you looked so peaceful and sweet in your sleep!" Donnie defends himself which makes Raph make some gagging noises behind his back. "And after all these headaches I thought you might need some more rest."

"It doesn't matter," April says. "I had classes this morning and you let me sleep in."

"Why didn't you set your alarm clock then!?" Donnie's voice gets only a tiny bit louder, a sign that he's really getting angry.

His brothers hear it, too, and Leo and Mikey choose to leave the main area. Only Raph remains, watching them with a small smirk curling his mouth. April really feels like punching his face.

But this is not about Raph, heck, it isn't even about Donnie! It's about her! Her and not feeling guilty when she should.

"Because ... ," she starts, but she really has no idea what she could reply. It is her fault, she knows that. She should have set her alarm clock. And even more importantly, she shouldn't let it out on Donnie because she's confused.

She stops, setting her jaw into a hard line and sucking in a deep breath.

"I'm going," she says, turning on her heels and leaving the lair again.

She hears Donnie call after her, but he doesn't follow.

Again, April waits for the pang of guilt, again, it doesn't come.

Right before she climbs up the ladder to the surface, she punches the wall for good measure, letting out a cry of … well, of what, exactly? Anger? Frustration? She doesn't know and it doesn't help.

Her hand is still hurting when she arrives at Murakami's.

She looks around the restaurant. There are only a few customers there, and April realizes she's looking for someone special, but she isn't there.

Of course she isn't.

With a sigh April slumps down at the bar.

"April-chan!" Murakami greets her. "I didn't expect you today."

"Well, I really need some pizza gyoza right now," she replies.

"Bad day?" Murakami asks, frowning.

"Sort of."

He leaves it at that and starts preparing her order.

"Sort of?" a voice asks as someone takes a seat next to April, and the red-headed woman isn't sure if she should be angry or relieved that Karai showed up.

"Yeah, sort of," April repeats. She isn't going to give Karai any more than that. Then she cocks her head. "How do you do that?" she asks.

"Do what?" Karai asks back.

"Show up when no one expects you to."

Karai laughs silently. "One of the perks of being a kunoichi. Not that you'd know of." She nods towards April slightly bruised hand. "Got into a fight?"

April hides her hand under the counter. "Sort of."

"Are these your favorite words today?" Karai asks with another laugh.

"Sort of," April replies, and then they both laugh.

They don't talk much after that, just sit side by side, April eating her pizza gyoza and Karai sipping her sake.

But when April leaves Murakami's two hours later, she really does feel better.

* * *

Back at the lair, she still doesn't know how to act around Donnie, and he doesn't seem to know what to do either, so they tiptoe around each other.

April waits a while after Donnie has already gone to bed, before she goes to his room. She sits down on the edge of the bed, slipping out of her boots.

She only jumps a little when Donnie suddenly hugs her from behind and presses her back against his plastron.

"I'm sorry," he whispers into her ear.

"It's okay, you only surprised me," she replies, knowing exactly that that isn't what he apologized for.

"I'm sorry," Donnie says again, starting to kiss her neck. "I'm sorry."

April closes her eyes and enjoys the warmth of Donnie's arms, the prickle of his kisses.

That night, Donnie makes her come again.


	7. Chapter 07

On her next patrol night, April feels like someone is watching her. And she knows only one person who that could be. She's cautious all the time, waiting for an attack, trying to be ready for whatever Karai has planned for her. But Karai doesn't attack her, and so April is fine with it. And at some point her watcher is gone.

April is fine with that, too.

* * *

The next evening Karai is waiting for her at Murakami's again, and April sits down next to her.

They don't greet each other, just sit there.

"Did I scare you last night?" Karai asks all of a sudden.

"Not really," April replies. "Although I've been waiting for an attack."

Karai giggles. "Yeah, I could see that."

April raises a brow. "Why didn't you? Attack me, I mean."

"I need a bit of a challenge," Karai says. "And it was way funnier to watch you stumble through the shadows."

"I didn't stumble!"

Karai giggles again. "Yes, you did."

As much as April hates it, Karai has a point there. Sure, she is better than common people when it comes to hiding and staying quiet, but April is far from having a kunoichi's skills.

Without a sensei, that's no wonder, she guesses. She never had it in her to keep her training going after that one night that changed everything. It never bothered her before.

Now it does.

Now when Karai looks at her with those amused eyes and that little smirk.

"And you let Leo wait again last night, it seems," April says.

Karai shrugs. "I told you, it makes him do things he'd never do otherwise."

There's something April always wanted to know about their meetings. But she never brought herself to ask Leo about it.

"You seemed surprised that Splinter isn't training me any longer," she says as matter-of-factly as she can.

 _Didn't Leo yell at you for letting your true father down? Didn't he tell you that what you did was pretty fucked up? Didn't he ask you to at least visit him now that he's broken and more dead than alive?_

Those are the questions she really wants to ask, but all she asks is, "Didn't Leo tell you?"

Karai shakes her head ever so slightly.

"We don't talk much," she replies, and then there's something like mischief glistening in her eyes. "It's hard to talk when you have _something_ in your mouth, you know."

April twists her mouth at that.

It only makes Karai smirk as she turns back to her sake, taking one long sip.

They sit in silence for the rest of the evening.

* * *

On her patrol the following week, April actually pays attention to her form. It's the first time in years she actually pays attention, the first time in years she actually tries to put more of the things she's been taught into action.

Knowing that Karai is watching her - yes, she's one-hundred percent sure, she is - fuels her ambition.

Maybe she wants to assure Karai that she's better than she thought, maybe she wants to show Karai that she can be as deadly an enemy as the four brothers.

For the first time in years April doesn't settle for being good enough. For the first time in years, she wants to be good.

Again, Karai doesn't attack her. But that's okay. April must have shown her that it's not as easy as she thought.

She's so proud of herself when she arrives at the lair that night.

Because, really, she's a kunoichi after all.


	8. Chapter 08

April is still grinning like an idiot when she arrives at Murakami's the following evening. Not even Raph's cheesy comments about how Donnie must have put on a great show in the bedroom last night managed to wipe that grin from her face. It's only Raph, and Raph knows nothing.

Although Donnie's _performance_ has been as good as always.

But that's not the reason she's grinning.

April fights the grin down a bit now, though. She's about to face Karai, and Karai doesn't need to know how proud she is of herself.

She probably knows already because she's watched April last night.

By the time April sits down at the bar next to Karai she managed to tune down her grin to a smirk.

As always, she orders pizza gyoza, and as always Karai is sipping sake, but everything feels so much better today.

April can't help, but shoot a side glance at Karai every now and then.

The Foot kunoichi wears her usual bored face.

"You were being cute last night," Karai says.

April's eyes widen for a moment, and she feels how her good mood is starting to wear thin.

"All this trying to act like a kunoichi," Karai continues, taking another sip from her cup. "Adorable."

 _I didn't_ act _like a kunoichi!_ April wants to yell at her. _I_ am _a kunoichi!_

But she doesn't. As much as it hurts, Karai has a point.

Again.

"You may have been a tiny bit better," Karai admits, "but you're still far from being good. Very far."

April presses her lips together so hard that it hurts.

"What do you suggest?" she says finally.

Karai shrugs. "Why don't you let me train you?"

" _You?_ " April almost laughs. "But you're our ..."

She breaks off, mid-sentence.

"Enemy?" Karai suggests. "No, I am not."

She turns a bit in her seat to face April.

"As far as I know, I didn't wipe you out yet. I didn't send an army of Foot ninja or the Purple Dragons after you. And this, although I do know where your lair is. Although I do know what would be the best way to get rid of you all. So what does this tell you?"

"Well, there are fights still," April says meekly.

"When we run into each other by accident, yes," Karai replies. "I have a reputation to keep, you know."

April turns her attention to her pizza gyoza, but Karai just keeps talking.

"I can't just walk up to my Foot soldiers and tell them, hey, we're friends with the Hamato now. I'd be dead before I finish the sentence. No, it can't be done after what my fa... Shredder told them."

April doesn't look at Karai, but she can hear the pain in her voice.

"I'm sorry," she says, turning to look at Karai. "About Shredder."

She feels Karai's eyes on her. "No, you're not."

"No, I'm not," April confesses.

"You know what the funny thing is?" Karai asks, turning back to her cup of sake. April doesn't reply. Karai doesn't want a reply here.

She takes her time taking a long sip from her cup.

"I would have forgiven him," Karai finally says. "So many things, I could have forgiven him - that he lied about my mother's murderer, that he took away my name from me, that all my life he told my lies. I could have lived with those lies. I could have lived with knowing the truth, and still, I would have fought loyally by his side till the bitter end. But this one lie, I couldn't forgive. He wasn't my father, April. He was just some random guy my mother banged before she met my true father. And yet, he let me call him 'father' all my life. That, I couldn't forgive."

April watches Karai closely. She searches for a sign that all the hurt in her voice has really been there. And for a moment, she thinks she sees something like a foreshadowing of tears glistening in her eyes, but then Karai turns to look at her, tilting her head, and it's gone the moment the smirk is back on Karai's face.

"So, about that training, are you in?" she asks.

"I'm in," April replies.


	9. Chapter 09

_There's been a guest review asking if April only cares about the sex with Donnie and saying that it seems April doesn't care about Donnie's emotions. I know that is how one can read this story, but it's not all there is to it. Over the years (remember, in this story April and Donnie are a few years older than they are in the show) her feelings for Donnie have changed in a way. She still loves him, but not in the same way as she did when they were teenagers. Even more, she feels rather obliged to stay with him because he loves her so much and has saved her life (and the world) so many times. However, sex is still a very important part of their relationship and it's April's indicator to figure out if they still belong together. Although at this point, she isn't sure if she'd ever be able to break up with Donnie. But all these things are going to be dealt with later in the story._

 _So, that's it for now. Back to the story! ^^_

* * *

April really had forgotten how hard training can be. Sure, she has trained every now and then, but it's a difference if you stop when you have enough or don't want to train any longer and if someone keeps pushing you.

This someone is Karai.

"Oh, come on, O'Neil!" She rolls her eyes at April. "That kata really isn't that hard!"

"...is for me…," April hisses behind gritted teeth as she tries once more to get this one kick done - and fails miserably.

"Okay, break!" Karai says, and April is more than happy about it.

She trudges over to her bag and grabs her bottle of water.

Her clothes are sweaty and clinging to her body, and every breath she takes hurts in her throat. If Karai keeps this up much longer, she is so going to puke. Preferably all over Karai, because right now, April's pissed.

It's Wednesday night and April could be at the lair right now, cuddling with Donnie in front of the TV, but no, she's out here at some random rooftop doing katas and getting yelled at for not doing it right.

On the other hand, April _agreed_ to be here tonight, she agreed to Karai training her, and now she's training her, and April wishes she'd be somewhere else.

She drowns half of her bottle of water in long gulps.

There's no way she's going to the lair tonight, not when she's totally exhausted and sweaty and feeling like _this_.

She told Donnie she has a study session with a friend every Wednesday now. And study sessions don't send your pulse skyrocketing. Well, unless it's finals, but not in the middle of the semester.

She takes a deep breath and another one, ignoring the sick feeling it sends to her stomach.

"You ready?" Karai asks.

"No," she replies.

"Good, then let's continue," Karai says.

With a groan April takes up position again.

* * *

An hour later, she sinks to the cold concrete and lets her back rest against a wall, breathing heavily and not sure if she's ever going to make it down from that rooftop again or if she should just lie down and die right now.

With a grin Karai sinks down to the ground next to April, handing her another bottle of water.

"You weren't as bad as I expected," she says.

"Coming … from you … that's a … compliment," April pants before she takes the bottle of water and drinks it greedily.

"Then take it as such," Karai says.

There's something in her voice that makes April turn her head.

She looks Karai over. Just like April, she's wearing sports clothes, just some sweatpants and a shirt. April insisted. No weapons, not too close to April's apartment or the guys' patrol route, nothing that screams "ninja" or "kunoichi".

But only when April studies her face, she raises a brow. Karai is actually smiling. Yes, it looks _very_ close to a smirk, but it's a smile after all.

April takes in a few deep breaths, hoping to send her pulse to a normal rate pretty soon.

"You never told me what's in this for you," she says.

Karai shrugs. "Not having to watch you stumble through the darkness seems like a goal."

April twists her mouth. "You don't have to watch me. You could just go and fuck Leo instead."

"Yeah," Karai sighs. "I could."

April turns away again, looking over the rooftops.

But somehow, she has the feeling that Karai is still watching her. It's that prickle on her neck that gives it away. It makes her shiver a bit.

"Actually, I thought of another way how I could make this worth my while," Karai says, getting to her feet.

April looks at her, raising a brow as Karai holds out her hand.

Hesitantly, she takes it and Karai pulls her to her feet.

And then everything happens so fast. She remembers Karai turning her around and pushing her against the wall.

"Karai … wh ... "

Karai presses her body against April's back.

"If you want me to stop, just tell me to stop," she says.

"Stop what?" April manages to ask.

"That!" Karai says, as she pushes her hand inside April's pants and between her legs.

April inhales loudly as Karai starts caressing her folds.

She freezes for a moment, unsure what to do.

Well, she could tell Karai to stop, she remembers that, but she doesn't.

It feels good.

Karai's middle finger finds April's clit and rubs it carefully.

April gives a silent moan.

Karai reacts to that by adding a little more pressure to April's clit, and April feels how all the tension goes from her body.

She sighs.

She doesn't know how long Karai keeps this up, she only knows that she's enjoying it.

But then she feels Karai's warm breath on her ear.

"So, Princess," she purrs. "Do you want me to stop?"

April replies with another silent moan. She really has to pull herself together to not actually cry out in pleasure.

"Nah, that won't do," Karai goes on before she takes April's earlobe between her teeth, nibbling at it carefully.

Again, April almost screams. But she bites on her lower lip just in time.

"Sooooooo," Karai drawls after a moment. "Do you want me to stop or not?"

April doesn't reply.

"Really, you have to tell me, Princess," Karai says, and April just knows that she's smirking. "Or I wouldn't know. And when in doubt," - all of a sudden Karai removes her hand from between April's legs and takes a step back - "you better stop."

April gives a frustrated groan, her fingers digging into the wall.

She shivers.

"P-please," she whispers. "Please continue."

"Now that's a good girl," Karai says, and her breath is back to brushing April's cheek. "One more thing: If I see you holding back once more, I am going to end this immediately."

And then her hand is back between April's legs, her middle finger now rubbing fiercer against April's clit.

April bites down her lip, muffling her moan.

And as if to warn her, Karai stops for a moment.

"Please!" April says again.

Karai presses her hand between her legs, rubbing April's clit faster and harder than before, and this time, April moans loudly.

"Good, Princess, good," Karai purrs before she nibbles at April's earlobe again. And then she bites down for a moment, making April moan even louder.

April starts moving her hips to meet Karai's caresses.

She moans louder than she ever has before, feeling how the heat rises between her legs, more and more, burning, hurting almost.

She screams when she comes.

Karai's caresses become more tender as the waves of passion ebb away.

When she removes her hand from between April's legs, April sighs.

And then it hits her. She has no idea what to do now, how to face Karai now.

April squeezes her eyes shut.

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Karai says, giving April's butt a gently pat. "See you around!"

And then Karai is gone.

April turns around, resting her back against the wall as she slides down to the ground again.

She can still feel the afterglow of her orgasm.

She doesn't know what this has been about, she only knows it's been amazing.


	10. Chapter 10

April wakes to the sound of her phone. Still half asleep she grabs it, checking her messages.

Just Donnie asking how she is.

April's eyes widen. _Just_ Donnie? What's wrong with her!?

Of course Donnie would ask how she is after she cancelled on him last night. She was sure she couldn't face him after her training, and she was even more sure that she couldn't show up in the lair after what happened afterwards.

What Karai did.

To her.

With a groan April rolls on her back.

Somehow she can still feel it, Karai's hand between her legs, her fingers caressing and teasing, her warm breath on her cheek.

April quickly shakes her head.

It was wrong. She knows that now. Heck, she even knew it the moment it happened, but somehow she couldn't stop Karai.

It's Karai's fault, of course.

How could she do _this_? Why would she even want to touch April _there_?

She has Leo, and April has Donnie.

And April is happy with Donnie, so very happy. The sex is good, so why on earth did she let Karai do this? She even asked her to continue!

April lets her arm drop over her face, hiding behind it.

She doesn't want to think about it.

It's Karai.

And Karai loves to play games, no matter how weird they are.

It's just another game for Karai.

She even lets Leo wait because it makes him do things.

So of course she'd touch April to… to…

She has no idea.

But whatever the reason it was just for Karai's entertainment.

It had nothing to do with April.

April flinches a bit, wondering where the pang in her heart had come from.

Another thing that doesn't make sense.

She has absolutely no idea how to face Donnie now.

Should she tell him?

No, she can't, she realizes. She already lied to him about last night's whereabouts. Besides, he wouldn't understand why she'd want Karai to train her.

Not even to think of the other thing.

 _Hey, Donnie, guess what? I didn't have a studying session last night. Actually, I met Karai to pick up my kunoichi-training. And then I sort of cheated on you with her._

Unthinkable!

And she did _not_ cheat on him with Karai! She didn't even touch Karai. She just let Karai touch her. That's a difference, right? It has to be a difference!

She removes her arm from her face and rolls on her side, staring at her phone.

Another _beep!_ tells her of one more message.

Really, Donnie, now you're going overboard.

But the message is from someone else. Unknown number.

And the message only consist of one word.

 _Murakami's?_

It makes the heat rise in April's cheeks.

Before she knows what she's doing, she's getting dressed.

When she grabs her phone before she leaves, she remembers something.

 _I'm okay. Will come over tonight. April_

She reads the message again. Something feels off about it.

 _I'm okay. Will come over tonight. Love, April_

There, that's better.

She quickly sends the message to Donnie, then leaves the apartment.

And she can't help, but wonder why her heart is beating faster and faster the closer she gets to Murakami's.

It must be the anger, she tells herself, because, boy, she is so giving Karai a piece of her mind!


	11. Chapter 11

The moment April steps through the door of Mr. Murakami's restaurant, she's burning with anger.

It's all Karai's fault!

She has to apologize, she has to make things right again, because April didn't do anything wrong!

She searches the room for Karai and finds her sitting at the bar. As usual.

April marches over to her, but before she can reach her, Karai turns around, looking directly at her.

There's something between a smirk and a smile on Karai's face when their eyes meet, and it's more smile than smirk.

Something tightens around April's heart, and it hurts.

She feels so very exposed this one moment, and her formerly loud footsteps, set with anger and fierce, turn down to a normal trot.

Without a word she slides down on a seat next to Karai.

"I already ordered pizza gyoza for you," Karai says.

"I'm not hungry," April replies.

"Really?" Karai says as she takes another sip from her sake. "I thought after last night you must be very hungry."

There's something in her voice that makes April shiver and she isn't sure if it's a good or a bad thing.

"It was some hard _training_ after all," Karai continues.

Another shiver runs down April's spine.

"You can't do that again," she says.

"What?" Karai asks, her voice too sweet to be true. "I thought we agreed that I am going to train you."

"That's not what I'm talking about!" April says a little too loudly.

"Then what are you talking about, hm?" Karai asks sardonically.

"The _other_ thing, you know."

"Oh, you mean when I stroked you to orgasm?" Now Karai's voice is louder than it needed to be.

"Shhh!" April tries to shush her. "You can't do that again."

"You seemed to like it."

April is glad that Karai's voice now is back at a normal volume before she realizes what she actually said. She feels her cheeks heat up.

"Awwww, you're blushing!" Karai comments the obvious.

"You can't do that again. I have a boyfriend." April keeps her eyes glued to the bar.

"As far as I remember I told you you can stop me," Karai says matter-of-factly. "Which you didn't. You even told me to _continue_. So again, you seemed to like it."

"I … I did," April admits, the words out of her mouth before she can stop herself. "It's just …"

"Hot? Satisfying? Good?" Karai cuts in.

"'Wrong' was the word I was looking for."

"And it still felt amazing, didn't it?"

April nods.

"Well, I can't promise I won't try again," Karai says.

April turns to face her. "Why not? I mean you have Leo and … and …"

"Leo and I aren't a couple," Karai clarifies. "And sometimes I long for someone else's company."

"Why me?" April asks.

"You ever looked in the mirror recently?" Karai asks back.

April furrows a brow. "What's in it for you? I mean, you're Karai, there has to be something in it for you!"

"Oh, there's a lot in it for me."

"What? I didn't even touch you or … or anything."

Karai laughs. "You're such an innocent girl, you know that, O'Neil?"

And she leans forward, so her mouth is so very close again to April's ear. It makes April think of the night before, and she shivers, and the shiver only increases when Karai speaks up.

"You melted beneath my touch, you made all those cute sounds, you begged me to continue. That's enough for the time being."

She leans back again.

And then she puts her hand over April's and it's the first time that April realizes that she's been holding on the to bar with such force her knuckles had turned white.

She relaxes a bit now, though.

"As I said, I can't promise you I won't try again," Karai says again. "But I promise that you can always stop me."

"Okay," April replies, staring down on Karai's hand which is giving her own hand a little squeeze now.

It's never going to happen again, April knows that, but for the moment, she can't help, but imagine Karai's hand between her legs again.


	12. Chapter 12

Even on her way from Murakami's to the lair April still remembers the feeling of Karai's hand.

And she can't help, but wonder: If she still thinks of what amazing things this hand did to her, is this cheating?

She doesn't know.

All she knows is that it can't happen again. She needs to forget it.

No, she needs to erase it from her memory.

Once at the lair, she directly goes to the lab, only saying a quick greeting to Mikey and Raph who are watching TV in the pit.

And then she's in the lab, closing the door behind her and locking it.

Donnie's hunched over one of his inventions.

April doesn't know if he sees or hears her coming or not, but he doesn't flinch when she wraps her arms around his shell from behind.

"Hi," she whispers.

"Hi yourself," he replies and she knows he's smiling.

She moves her hands to his arms, grabbing them and dragging him with him when she takes a step backwards.

He lets go of his invention, looking back over his shoulder at her.

She just smiles, taking his one hand into hers and leads him over to his computer station and pushes him down on his office chair.

"April, wh…," is all he manages to say before she climbs his lap and covers his mouth with her own.

She feels him freeze for a moment, then he relaxes to her kiss.

When she breaks the kiss, he looks directly into her eyes.

"What are you doing?" he asks, letting his fingers glide through her hair.

"I guess I missed you," she replies and kisses him again, more passionately this time.

Donnie takes the chance when she needs a little break to breathe to speak up again.

"Here?" he asks, his voice insecure and confused. "It's only afternoon, and we have no bed here, and …"

April puts a finger on his mouth.

"I guess we need to improvise, then," she says. "You are good at improvising, aren't you, Donnie?"

She straddles him, and Donnie moans silently.

He leans back for a moment, taking a deep breath, but before April can slide her hand down his body, he takes control again like he always does.

He lifts her from his lap, turning her around.

April just has time to grab the table top, before it's _Donnie's_ hand between her legs, and it feels good.

He rubs her clit just the way she likes it, and April almost lets out a loud moan. But just in time she remembers where she is and presses her lips together.

She leans forward, pressing her torso against the desk.

The heat is rising between her legs, and she knows she's getting wet.

Donnie knows it, too, because with his free hand he strips down her pants until her lower body is exposed.

She spreads her legs to give him better access, and then he's inside her, thrusting into her so very slow while his finger feverishly rubs her clit, that she has to bite down her lip to not cry out loud.

And he keeps thrusting so very slow that April thinks she's losing her mind.

She looks back at him over her shoulder.

"Please, Donnie," she says. "Please, faster."

Donnie's eyes widen for a moment.

It's not like her to tell him what to do, she knows that, but she had to.

And then he goes for a faster rhythm.

April squeezes her eyes shut. She has to bite down on her fist now or she is going to scream.

And Donnie keeps fucking her, faster, harder, his breath coming in pants now.

He only presses his finger against her clit now, and the heat between her legs reaches an unbearable level.

With his next thrust April comes, and thankfully, she's still biting down on her fist or the whole lair would have heard her.

Donnie keeps his breathtaking pace until he comes deep inside her a few moments later. He holds completely still for a moment, then gives a few more fast thrusts to ride out the pleasure.

He pulls out of her again, faster than April had wanted him to. She straightens up and pulls her pants back into place.

"I don't know … what's gotten … into you," Donnie says, still trying to catch his breath. "But I like it."

He gives April one big tooth-gapped grin, and April smiles back at him for a moment before she turns away.

"Well, I'll go greet the guys properly now," she says.

"Do that," Donnie replies. "I'll try to continue my work, but it's going to be hard."

On her way over to the door, April thinks about what she just did. What _they_ just did.

It was good and unexpected, and she really, really liked it.

But then she remembers Karai's hand between her legs again and how different it had been to Donnie's.

She fights the urge to slap her hand against her forehead because, really, what _is_ she thinking?


	13. Chapter 13

On Friday night April _cannot wait_ to get on her patrol. She even manages to assure Donnie that yes, she still remembers the rules, and yes, she's going to stay out of trouble, in less than two minutes. That's actually a first. And a new record.

But after their encounter in the lab - also known as really amazing sex - he seems so much more lenient. She has to keep that in mind.

Who knows when she's going to need a mellower Donnie again?

And then she's topside, and she takes her time climbing the nearest fire escape.

Of course she could do it faster, but she wants to do it right.

She wants the training with Karai to pay off.

Besides, she doesn't know when exactly Karai will start watching her. And she wants to cut a fine figure. Hopefully, it'll spare her some of Karai's teasing comments. And maybe, just maybe it'll get her a compliment.

Not that she does it to fish for compliments. No, not at all! It's just that, well, compliments are nice. And coming from Karai, they'd be the icing on the cake. Because Karai isn't known for compliments. Or for being nice.

Although…

April stops the thought before it can settle down.

She is so _not_ going to think about this again!

She has more important things to do, she tells herself as she latches onto the rooftop. Way more important things to do, like getting over this rooftop without being seen. There was something Karai showed her before they switched to katas on their training session.

 _Breathe silently, but deeply, short breaths don't get enough oxygen into your brain, so you might make mistakes._

April nods and then heeds Karai's counsel. She gets it done easier than during training, although there's still room for improvement.

There's _always_ room for improvement. She knows that, too.

She moves through the shadows, silently, using each cover she can find on her way over the rooftop.

Yes, she could march straight over it. No one would care. She's a human wearing weird clothes, that's all. But she wants to make it right.

Halfway over the rooftop she feels a prickle on the back of her neck, and she knows that Karai is here.

She might have been around before, but now April can feel her.

It makes her heart miss a beat and she stops for a moment. Karai is watching _her_. She needs to be even better from now on.

 _Keep it together, O'Neil_ , she tells herself. _It's just Karai. She's watched you before._

This is the voice of reasoning. But there's another voice in her head, too, and it rises to speak shortly after.

 _But not after your training_ , it says. _Not after …_

April pushes the thought away. But it brushes her, and she remembers. Oh yes, she remembers all too well.

She fights the urge to violently shake her head and keeps moving.

 _One step at a time, one step at a time_ , she's telling herself over and over again. It keeps that other voice at bay.

She doesn't know how she makes it over the next hour or so, but she's relieved when the prickle at the back of her neck is gone, showing her that Karai has left.

She hopes that this other voice in her head is going to shut up now.

It doesn't, though, and she has to continue her mantra until she can flee into Donnie's bed and arms that night.


	14. Chapter 14

All the way to Murakami's the next day, April feels a mixture of confusion and confidence. Which is a weird mixture, really.

At one moment she feels all confident because she did her best last night and she managed to show some of the things Karai had taught her.

And then she feels confused again because she remembers Karai's touch and how good it had felt and how much she had enjoyed it.

She keeps telling herself that yes, it had been nice, and yes, she had enjoyed, but no, it _cannot_ happen again. Ever.

She has a boyfriend, a sweet, tooth-gapped turtle-boyfriend. And she loves him.

She's told him so on so many occasions. And he's told her how much he loves her. So this is the real thing, isn't it?

It doesn't matter that every time these three words came over her lips, she felt a little pang in her heart. It doesn't matter that it has always been easier to reply with, "Love you too".

It doesn't matter because she loves him nonetheless.

She loves Donnie.

And how could she not?

He's gentle and nice and sweet and a genius, and he's saved her life and this planet countless times.

And he loves her. He shows her with every time he looks at her, with every breath he takes, with every time he says her name.

That's true love.

She cannot forget that.

Donnie loves April, April loves Donnie. It's as easy as that. Period.

She has reached Murakami's now, but she hesitates.

She could go now, leave Karai waiting, abandon her training, and everything is going to be fine. She could tell Karai to leave her alone once and for all.

Karai might get angry, she might attack her, but the pain coming from a bruised body is easier to bear than these thoughts.

Pain vanishes after a while. She isn't sure if these thoughts would.

She's about to turn around and just go, but she changes her mind.

At least she has to tell her personally.

April takes a deep breath and enters the restaurant.

Karai's already waiting, like always. And April takes the seat next to her, as always.

But from then on, everything is going to change. April knows that.

She just wants to place her order first, that's all.

And when Mr. Murakami turns away to prepare her pizza gyoza, April braces herself for telling Karai what she should have told her days ago.

But Karai speaks up before she can.

"You weren't being as cute as last time," she says. April looks at her from the corner of her eyes and realizes that Karai doesn't only sip her usual cup of sake, but that there is a plate of pizza gyoza in front of her, too.

"And by 'not as cute' I mean as in 'trying too hard'," Karai explains before she shoves a piece of pizza gyoza into her mouth, munching it slowly.

"You're always cute, by the way," she mumbles.

"Thanks," April says.

"I'm happy that my training is paying off so quickly," Karai continues. "Although that stop you carried out in the middle of that rooftop was way too risky."

 _That was because you were watching me!_ April wants to tell her, but instead she only says, "I know."

"I am going to show you some more tricks next week," Karai says.

"Can't wait!" April replies before she realizes that this conversation took a turn she didn't intend.

She decides that it doesn't matter. She can still tell Karai that she abandons her training tomorrow. No need in ruining a nice evening at Murakami's because of it.

When Mr. Murakami places her plate of pizza gyoza in front of her, April realizes something else. It makes her freeze for a moment, her cheeks heating up.

 _Wait a minute! Did Karai just call me cute!?_


End file.
